The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring liquid flow. The invention is particularly useful for measuring the flow of milk, and is therefore described below particularly with respect to this application, but it will be appreciated that the invention could advantageously be used for measuring the flow of other liquids, particularly mixtures.
Existing methods of measuring milk flow are generally based on mechanical type measuring devices. One way of electrically measuring milk flow is to subject the milk to electromagnetic radiation and to measure the attenuation of the electromagnetic radiation by the milk. However, the composition of the milk varies substantially from cow to cow, and even from the same cow during the same milking process. Such variations in composition affect the attenuation of the electromagnetic radiation by the milk and thereby affect the measurements in a significant manner.